[[Image:Wells.jpg|thumb|right|Dr. Wells being honored for the impact of his 1977 paper in the field of Animal Behavior. Photo by P. Morenus/UConn Photo]]<br>

==Instructors==

==Instructors==

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[[Image:Frogcute.jpg|thumb|right|Oh God, it's so cute!!]]<br>

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[[Image:Meandspotted.jpeg|thumb|right|Johana (TA) having some bonding time with a spotted salamander. Photo by A. Shepack]]<br>

'''[mailto:kentwood.wells@uconn.edu Dr. Kentwood Wells]'''<br>

'''[mailto:kentwood.wells@uconn.edu Dr. Kentwood Wells]'''<br>

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Office: Torrey Life Sciences Building 379 <br>

Office: Torrey Life Sciences Building 379 <br>

Phone: (860) 486-6215<br>

Phone: (860) 486-6215<br>

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Office hours: by appointment<br><br><br>

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Office hours: by appointment<br><br><br><br><br>

==Course Procedures and Policies==

==Course Procedures and Policies==

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[[Image:DSC03738_6.jpg|right|Photo by E. K. Timpe]]

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[[Image:BillandHoney.jpg|thumb|right|How many families of snakes, again?]]

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[[Image:HerpFieldTrip.jpg|right|Photo by A. Shepack]]

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[[Image:Jars.jpg|thumb|right|Too many jars...]]

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[[Image:DSC02417.JPG|right|]]

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[[Image:waders.jpg|thumb|right|You gotta love waders]]

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[[Image:kiss.jpg|thumb|right|Spotted and Spotty sitting in the tree K-i-s-s-i-n-g!]]

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'''Field Trips:'''<br>

'''Field Trips:'''<br>

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There will be a scheduled field trip to the Yale Forest during lab time Monday, April 25th. There will be additional evening field trips once the weather is warm enough. We will begin evening field trips as soon as the first amphibians start breeding, which could be as early as late March. Many of these will be arranged on short notice. We will try to do enough of these so that everyone has a chance to get out in the field a few times.<br><br>

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There will be a scheduled field trip to the Yale Forest during lab time Monday, April 29th. There will be additional evening field trips once the weather is warm enough. We will begin evening field trips as soon as the first amphibians start breeding, which could be as early as late March. Many of these will be arranged on short notice. We will try to do enough of these so that everyone has a chance to get out in the field a few times.<br><br>

'''Readings:'''<br>

'''Readings:'''<br>

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'''Disabilities:'''<br>

'''Disabilities:'''<br>

If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and the [http://www.csd.uconn.edu Center for Students with Disabilities] (Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201) within the first two weeks of the semester.<br>

If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and the [http://www.csd.uconn.edu Center for Students with Disabilities] (Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201) within the first two weeks of the semester.<br>

Course Procedures and Policies

How many families of snakes, again?

Too many jars...

You gotta love waders

Spotted and Spotty sitting in the tree K-i-s-s-i-n-g!

The lecture portion of this course will deal with various aspects of the biology of amphibians and reptiles, including physiological ecology, communication, social behavior, reproduction, parental care, and community ecology. The laboratories will focus on the classification and distribution of the major families of amphibians and reptiles of the world, as well as identification of Connecticut species. There will be some evening field trips toward the end of the semester to see breeding of local amphibians and daytime field trips to see other species. Students are expected to attend the field trips.

Field Trips:
There will be a scheduled field trip to the Yale Forest during lab time Monday, April 29th. There will be additional evening field trips once the weather is warm enough. We will begin evening field trips as soon as the first amphibians start breeding, which could be as early as late March. Many of these will be arranged on short notice. We will try to do enough of these so that everyone has a chance to get out in the field a few times.

Readings:
The emphasis in this course in on readings from original literature. I will be handing out detailed reference bibliographies with each lecture; assigned readings will be marked with * on each bibliography. Those marked with † are available online and will not be supplied in hard copy. Xeroxed copies of papers not available online will be in the green filing cabinet in my outer office (TLS 380) and can be signed out. Please do not monopolize these readings for long periods of time, since it is impossible for me to make enough copies for the entire class. The course textbook is Herpetology (3rd ed.) by F. H. Pough, R. M. Andrews, J. E. Cadle, M. L. Crump, A. H. Savitzky, and K. D. Wells (Prentice Hall, 2004). An illustrated guide, Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut: A Checklist with Notes on Conservation Status, Identification, and Distribution by Michael Klemens (Connecticut DEP, 2000), may be useful as an additional reference for local species and can be ordered if students are interested.

Exams:
There will be two lecture exams. The midterm will be given sometime in March, perhaps as a take-home exam. The final exam will be essay format, given on May 8. For the final, I will hand out ten questions two weeks in advance, which you can prepare using class notes and readings. Several of these questions will appear on the final exam given during the scheduled exam period. You will not be able to bring any reference materials or notes to the exam. There will be two lab practicals covering taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of amphibians and reptiles.

Grades:
Grades will be determined approximately as follows:Lab Practicals: 20% eachMidterm: 20%Final: 40%

Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism and cheating are violations of the student conduct code, and may be punished by failure in the course or, in severe cases, dismissal from the University. For more information, see Appendix A of the Student Conduct Code.

Disabilities:
If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and the Center for Students with Disabilities (Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201) within the first two weeks of the semester.